The present invention relates to the supplying of a medication and other fluids to a patient through either an endotracheal tube or a tracheal tube, and more specifically to the provisioning of an adapter to an endotracheal breathing circuit connected to the patient so that medication and/or other fluids such as oxygen may be provided to the lungs of the patient without having to disassemble the endotracheal breathing circuit.
To enhance the breathing of a patient with a tracheal tube or an endotracheal tube, ventilation and suction systems are used. These systems are connected, by means of a connector, to the tracheal tube. (The term endotracheal tube henceforth should be taken to mean either an endotracheal tube or a tracheal tube.) The ventilation system provides ventilation to the patient while the suction system removes the fluids such as for example mucus secretions that accumulate in the trachea and the bronchi of the patient.
Oftentimes a patient connected to a tracheal tube has an acute lung injury. Consequently, medication must be provided to the patient. However, given that the endotracheal tube is connected in circuit with both the ventilator and the suction systems, prior to the instant invention, to supply medication to the patient, the systems, or at least one of the systems, connected to the patient""s endotracheal tube has to be removed before medication may be supplied to the lungs of the patient. Needless to say, such removal and replacement of the ventilator and suction lines to the endotracheal tube is cumbersome, and oftentimes causes discomfort to the patient.
PCT publication WO95/08356 by the Assignee of the instant invention discloses the addition of an adapter in the ventilation circuit of the patient. The complete disclosure of the ""356 publication is incorporated by reference to the disclosure of the instant application. The instant invention is an improvement of the adapter disclosed in the ""356 publication. An alternative embodiment, as well as a method of using the same are also disclosed herein.
To ensure that a patient having an endotracheal tube inserted to his trachea is continuously connected to the ventilator and the suction system while medication is being provided, an adapter is interposed between the ventilator and the endotracheal tube of the patient. An input port is provided to the adapter so that a catheter that has calibration markings thereon and preferably a radiopaque line extending along its length is insertable to the adapter via the input port. To prevent back flow of fluids from the patient, fitted within the input port is a one way valve that opens only when the catheter is pressed thereagainst and subsequently passes therethrough. The input port, in conjunction with the adapter, would guide the catheter along the length of the endotracheal tube. The catheter is movable therealong until the distal end of the catheter extends beyond the distal end of the endotracheal tube.
With the aid of the equally spaced calibration markings and the radiopaque line along the catheter, the catheter may be accurately positioned to a desired location in the lungs of the patient. Once thus positioned, a medicament may be provided to the proximal end of the catheter, and be guided by the catheter to the desired location in the patient.
To regulate the length of the catheter inserted to the patient, a securing mechanism in the form of an internally threaded collar with extending fingers fitted thereto is threaded over the input port of the adapter, which in turn has at its upper arm an externally threaded portion that threadingly mates with the internal threads of the collar. When the collar is turned tightly on the arm of the input port, the fingers at the collar would compressively grasp the catheter, to thereby retain the catheter in place so that its distal end remains accurately positioned with respect to the desired location of the patient where the medication is to be supplied.
An alternative embodiment of the instant invention encompasses the incorporation of the adapter to the connector piece that acts as a junction for communicatively connecting the ventilator, the suction system and the endotracheal tube.
Instead of using the input catheter for supplying medication at the selected spot for the patient, the catheter may also be used for providing suction to a desired spot of the patient, by replacing the medicament supply means, such as for example a syringe or a medicament contained aerosol can, with a suction device. The suction device may be a part of the main suction provided to the endotracheal tube, or a distinct device that provides suction at the area where the tip of the catheter contacts.
In addition to using the catheter for supplying medicament to the patient and/or applying suction to a particular area such as for example the airways and/or lungs of the patient, other fluids or gases such as for example oxygen may be supplied through the catheter to the spot of the patient at the tip of the catheter, so that there is a high oxygenation directly at the desired patient location.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an adapter that allows medication to be provided to a patient fitted with an endotracheal tube without having to disassemble the ventilator and/or the suction system that are connected to the endotracheal tube.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an adapter that allows localized suction or oxygenation to a desired area of the patient fitted with an endotracheal tube without having to disassemble the ventilator and/or the suction system that are connected to the endotracheal tube.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an improved multi-purpose adapter.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to incorporate an adapter to the main connector that jointedly connects the ventilator circuit, the suction circuit and the endotracheal tube.